


strong enough to give

by lbk_princen



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Adolescent Sexuality, Bisexuality, First Kiss, Kissing, M/M, Sharing a Body, greed tries to be helpful but is mostly annoying, the great camping trip of 1914, the joys of realizing ur bi with ur best buddy yes homo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:08:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27392473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lbk_princen/pseuds/lbk_princen
Summary: There were many ways Ling could describe Greed. "A good wingman" was not necessarily one of them.
Relationships: Edward Elric/Ling Yao, Greed & Ling Yao
Comments: 20
Kudos: 184





	strong enough to give

**Author's Note:**

> title is from Like Lions by Blind Pilot which is more of an Ed song than a Ling song but eh. Rated T for language and sexual themes. shoutout to @nothingsodivine for being best beta/writing buddy

Sharing a body with Greed was strange because Ling's awareness of the outside world ebbed and flowed. Sometimes he saw what Greed saw and heard what Greed heard, other times he was limited to vague impressions, abstracted versions of events filtered through Greed's perspective and bias. It was odd to feel his body react to emotions that were not his own.

Darius was chopping wood for the fire, and Greed paused as he went past. Ling was close enough to see and hear and feel everything, even the dragon's pulse, screwy as it was in Amestris. Warmth flooded through their shared circulatory system as Greed's gaze traveled along the taut, bulging muscles of the chimera man hard at work.

"Mm," Greed hummed in appreciation.

 _Greed, what?_ Ling demanded.

"What?" Greed muttered, not taking his eyes off of Darius. Darius paused to wipe sweat from his eyes, and when his huge gorilla hand curled back around the shaft of the hatchet, Ling felt their stomach flutter and their breath catch.

_Seriously, WHAT?_

"What do you mean, _what?"_ Greed snipped quietly. "I'm allowed to ogle my henchmen. I bet he’s as big under the belt as everywhere else." The last part seemed to be more to himself than Ling, and had a note of breathiness to it.

_No. Absolutely not. First of all, he'll never go for us; we're fifteen in case you forgot. Secondly, you are not to disgrace my body in such a way! With anybody!_

_"You're_ fifteen," Greed argued, stuffing his hands in his pockets and turning to continue the way he was headed. "I'm an ageless, semi-immortal being."

_I think it stands to reason that if you're an ageless being occupying a fifteen-year-old body, that makes you fifteen._

Greed flapped his hand as he walked away. “Semantics. Like I care.”

Ling retreated into his own thoughts for a few minutes while Greed strolled through the woods, eyes peeled for any sign of people they didn’t want stumbling into the campsite. Eventually, curiosity called him back to conversation.

 _You would really have sex with someone like him?_ Ling asked. Call it morbid fascination.

“Absolutely,” Greed replied with a grin. Their stomach fluttered again and Ling wanted to grimace at the indecency of Greed’s intentions. “Not like chimera dick is anything new to me.”

Ling would have blinked in surprise if he had any control over the body. Instead he paid close attention to the vague memories wafting into his mind through Greed’s. People who weren’t quite human, like Greed, except not like him at all. People he had cared about, people he had touched — a lot, apparently. Warmth flooded their cheeks as embarrassment prickled at Ling, strong enough that he knew Greed could feel it, and the homunculus laughed at him.

 _You had a harem,_ Ling stated, surprised. He was quite comfortable with the concept of harems, considering he was the product of one, but he’d been under the impression the practice was taboo in the west.

Greed barked another laugh at that. "Y'know, I never thought to call it that, but I guess you're right." There was a spark of pride in his voice. “So, when you say I’m not allowed to ‘disgrace’ ‘your’ body, what do you mean?” He even did the air quotes.

 _I mean no sex, Greed,_ Ling said firmly. _Especially not with men!_

“No?” Greed seemed amused and interested, the same way he was interested in everything, everyone; interested like he wanted something. “You a virgin both ways, then?”

 _What do you mean, both—_ Ling was cut short by Greed very forcefully imagining exactly what he meant, and Ling recoiled. _Ugh, please don’t. Can we not talk about this anymore?_

“You brought it up first,” Greed reminded him, but dropped it anyway. Ling was huddled close enough to the body that his relief translated into an actual sigh.

Greed continued his patrol, and Ling could tell that Darius was still lingering on his mind. Ling pulled away, fully surrendering his senses to Greed so he could have some time to think, as much as one could think while hiding in a nest of restless, maddened souls.

Greed’s memories had been feelings, mostly. Like most things of Greed’s, they’d all been underscored by desire — but Ling had never experienced the desire for… men (or at least, he’d never recognized it as such), and doing so second-hand was jarring. He remembered strong hands on his hips, broad and calloused. A woman’s voice in his ear, separate from the hands. He remembered how much he loved this, _having_ them like, _his_ playthings, _his_ people.

Ling shook himself from the memories. Getting lost in what Greed felt was always strange, but the thing that unsettled Ling the most was how _familiar_ it often was. He’d never been in a situation similar to that particular memory, but he remembered walking between Lan Fan and Fu in the desert with a pleased feeling in his chest as he took quiet pride in them and their loyalty _._ _His_ people. _His_ family. Ling supposed Greed had a different idea of family, but the possessiveness was the same.

Sometimes Ling wished he didn’t understand Greed so well. It would be easier to dislike him.

* * *

As twilight nipped at the sun’s heels and shadows began to descend on the forest, Ling found himself distracted from his dinner by Edward's scowl. The alchemist was trying to read by the dying light, his brow furrowed and eyes squinted in concentration. His ponytail streamed down his back, and his bangs caught the firelight as he shifted the book in his hands. His expression smoothed out after a second, frustration giving way to focus. Then the corner of his mouth turned up, amused by whatever he'd read. Ling couldn't take his eyes off of Ed's lips, and he felt the same fluttering in his stomach from earlier.

 _Greed,_ Ling hissed in his mind, managing to tear his gaze away. Heat crawled up his neck and settled in his cheeks.

 _Wassup,_ Greed drawled from inside.

_Knock it off._

_Wha— I'm not doing anything!_

_You’re being gross again,_ Ling insisted. _I can’t believe you feel that way about_ _Ed_ _._

_You lost me. I wasn’t even paying attention. Whatever you’re feeling is all you, your highness._

Ling stiffened, and his eyes darted back to Ed, who was still absorbed in his reading. Was that true? Was he attracted to Ed the same way Greed was attracted to Darius?

_I don't lie, kiddo._

Ling licked his lips, his mouth suddenly dry.

Edward's face was angled skywards now, book tilted down, a thoughtful frown affixed to his face. He seemed deep in thought, but Ling was just transfixed by the way the shadows clung to his throat, outlining the faint swell of his adam's apple and muscles in his neck like he was sculpted from marble. After a few seconds Ed returned his gaze to the page, and caught his bottom lip on his teeth. Ling very suddenly wished it was his lip between those teeth, and he had to stop and reexamine that thought, because _what?_

 _This must be the fabled puberty I've heard so much about,_ Greed teased. _Never been through it myself, being ageless and all. Baby's first crush?_

 _I've had crushes before,_ Ling protested. He thought about Lan Fan, how before they left Xing he used to sneak into her room at night just to talk to her, and the strange bubbling he felt every time he made her laugh. This, though, this was different. There was no guilt attached to this feeling, because Ed was not bound to him the way Lan Fan was. Ed was his peer, not his servant.

 _Then what's so confusing about this?_ Greed asked innocently. _Go say something to him._

"Like what?" Ling huffed out loud. Heinkel glanced his way just for a second; Ling and Greed muttering to themselves was commonplace enough that the chimera quickly lost interest and went back to eating.

_Like, 'hey, wanna make out?'_

Ling couldn't keep himself from cracking a smile. "I don't know how you ever got laid."

_Hey, trust me, it’ll work! There’s charm in being straightforward, as long as you’re smooth about it. You’re crafty, you’ll find a way to make it work._

“That sounded like a compliment,” Ling commented, resuming his meal.

_Crafty for a human. You want him, don’t you?_

The words were spoken innocently, but they were accompanied by a flash of a scene conjured from Greed’s imagination that made Ling choke on his dinner. Ed, naked from the waist up, hair loose and shining, his lip caught between his teeth and his eyes dark with desire. Ling started coughing.

“Uhh, you okay over there?” Ed called. In the flickering light, he was a far cry from the vision Ling had just had — shirt buttoned all the way to the collar, hair pulled back, eyes tired and curious but not in any way lustful.

Ling’s face burned with embarrassment while he wrangled his breathing under control. “Ah, yep! No worries. I’m immortal, remember?” Fuck, why did he say that, that was so lame.

Ed snorted a laugh. “I mean, it would serve you right to be killed by your dinner. Revenge of the food.”

Ling managed a chuckle at that, then winced at his own awkwardness and turned away.

 _Wow,_ said Greed. _That was about the opposite of smooth. Remember how I said be smooth?_

“Just shut up, Greed!” Ling blurted, startling Heinkel. Ling’s face continued to burn. _That was wildly inappropriate!_ he yelled silently. _Now let it go!_

 _What the fuck. Dunno why you’re so mad, but fine, I’ll back off, whatever. Enjoy your sulk time, whinelord._ Greed sounded disgruntled, like he really couldn’t fathom why Ling was bothered. Then he retreated far back into their headspace, to where Ling could only just feel the faint brush of his presence.

Ling sighed heavily and picked at his food some more. When he glanced over his shoulder, Ed quickly looked away, as though he’d been staring at Ling’s back. Ling felt his face get even hotter. He’d acted silly or stupid around Ed before, sometimes on purpose, so he didn’t understand why it was only now that he felt like a fool.

After dinner, once the mortification abated, Ling started stretching. Greed had informed him that working out was useless since their body didn’t change, but after years and years of martial arts, it made Ling uneasy to let the practice go. Running through his katas provided him something to do, at the very least, but he liked to think it did help keep his reflexes sharp.

Heinkel and Darius walked off together to do a perimeter check, leaving Ling and Ed alone in the circle of firelight. Ling pretended he didn’t notice Ed watching him strip off the overcoat Greed liked to keep on and drape it on a nearby rock rising up out of the ground. Ling dropped into a crouch to stretch out his legs, and frowned at the way the fabric of the shirt pulled tight across his shoulders.

When he stood again, Ling unbuttoned the top buttons of the shirt. He didn’t look back, but he could sense through the dragon’s pulse that Ed was still focused on him. It made him feel warm but shivery. Slowly, Ling reached back and pulled the shirt up over his head, then off his arms, then placed it neatly over the jacket.

Now completely shirtless, Ling did a few more preliminary stretches, and an involuntary smirk reached his face when he realized Ed’s attention had not flickered from him even once. He couldn’t help feeling a little vain with Ed’s eyes on him. He knew he had a good figure, and when his body had undergone the transformation into a homunculus it had erased all the scars that previously marred his skin, leaving it smooth and perfect. He’d been a little disappointed at losing his scars at first, because he thought they gave him character, but it was worth it if it made him able to command Ed’s gaze like this.

He was so distracted with showing off that Ling didn’t even notice Greed creeping up on him, so when Greed seized the body, Ling was caught completely off guard and couldn’t do a thing to stop him from flexing their arm and grinning over their shoulder at Ed.

“You like what you see, half-pint?” Greed taunted, provocative. Ling wanted to groan and facepalm for eternity. He’d been trying to be _subtle,_ dammit.

Ed immediately began to blush furiously. He shot up out of his seat, book abandoned, and started rolling his automail shoulder. His metal hand was balled into a fist. “Who the fuck are you calling _half-pint?_ Say that again to my face, I dare you!”

 _Don’t say I never did anything for you, kid,_ Greed said smugly as he pushed Ling back into the body. Ling flailed internally for a second as Ed marched up to him, automail cocked for an uppercut.

“Hey, it’s me, sorry, he snuck up on me,” Ling said as he lifted his hands in a placating gesture. Ed stopped a foot away from his bare chest, glaring up at him from their five inches of height difference.

“Get Greed back out here, I’ve got something for him,” Ed threatened, flexing his automail so the metal joints clicked ominously.

Ling decided to take the opportunity and run with it. He pouted at Ed a little and crossed his hands behind his back. “You want Greed and not me? He’d probably make sure I felt the hit too, you know.”

Ed relaxed slightly and lowered his fist just an inch. “Well, maybe you deserve it for being so buddy-buddy with such a jackass.” The anger had bled out of his posture and Ling could tell the hostility was more obligatory than heartfelt.

“You think he’s a jackass now? You don’t share a _brain_ with him,” Ling pointed out. He could feel Greed starting to get annoyed. Clearly his intention hadn’t been for them to bond over picking on him, but it served him right for trying to interfere in Ling’s love life.

“I guess that’s true,” Ed conceded with a crooked grin. He still punched Ling in the shoulder, but playfully.

Ling swayed with it and smiled. “I don’t mind if you want to watch, you know,” he said bravely, making Ed pause. “I’m about to practice my fighting forms.”

Ed looked caught, and a bit of colour returned to his cheeks. “Er, oh, cool. I mean, I’ve always thought your fighting style was cool — never seen anything like it before I met you, and, well, I didn’t want to ask in case it was rude ‘cause I don’t know if it’s like, cultural secrets or whatever but—”

He was so adorable when he was flustered. Ling _really_ wanted to kiss him. “I can show you some moves if you want,” he offered, interrupting Ed’s babbling.

 _Bow-wow,_ said Greed with an implicit eyebrow wiggle. Ling ignored him valiantly.

“Really? Cool,” Ed said, trying to be nonchalant, but Ling could see the excitement in his eyes. It was the same look he got whenever they stopped by a library or a bookshop, or when he was muttering to himself drawing equations in the dirt; Ed was such an avid learner, excited to get his hands on new knowledge, especially surrounding his interests. Alchemy was the main one, but fighting was one of them as well, and Ling felt a bit infected by Ed’s passion — he was eager to share.

For an hour Ling coached Ed through some basic forms; he was a fast learner, and it looked like a lot of what he had learned from his teacher — while still foreign — at least had roots in Xingese martial arts, which made things easier. Greed was nearby the entire time, Ling could feel him watching through his eyes, but thankfully he refrained from making commentary as Ling put his hands on Ed’s body to correct his form.

Ed was so wiry and compact, which Ling knew already, but he realized it all over again as he lifted Ed’s elbow and extended his wrist, showing him the proper follow-through. There was so much power in his little body, Ling had seen it first-hand, and it made him wonder if he was capable of being gentle, too.

“We should spar sometime,” Ed said as he shifted his weight out of the stance and flexed his fingers.

Ling blinked, but a grin spread across his face. “That sounds fun. Shield or no shield?”

Ed tapped his chin, thinking about it. “Shield would be unfair if I didn’t know how to get through it, which I do, but it’s painful. How about no shield, no alchemy, just hand-to-hand.”

 _This is good,_ ventured Greed. _This is promising. I like your prospects here._

“Works for me,” Ling said, perfectly masking his annoyance with Greed. (Even though he happened to agree. Perhaps _because_ he agreed.) “Maybe not tonight though. It’s late.”

Ed nodded and stretched his arms up above his head, reaching up onto his toes. His automail creaked with the movement. Ling noted the way his shirt rode up ever-so-slightly over his stomach, and ignored the way his mouth went dry. “Sounds good. Night, then,” Ed sighed when he relaxed.

“Night,” Ling echoed as Ed wandered off to collect his book and get ready for bed.

_Alright, I let you go overtime. You’re welcome. My turn._

Greed welled up under their skin, drowning out Ling’s will with his powerful soul, and Ling fought it for only a second before allowing himself to be shunted out of the driver’s seat. Greed cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders with a satisfied hum before slipping the shirt and coat back on.

 _Even if I do have interest in Ed,_ Ling began slowly as Greed poked at the fire with a branch.

“Which you do,” Greed said loftily.

_Regardless of whether I do or don’t, can you please butt out of it? I’m serious._

Greed scoffed and stoked the coals a little more aggressively. “You realise we’re kind of a package deal, right? What’s yours is mine and all that. Shortie’s gotta know it, too. I dunno how you expect me to ‘butt out’ or what’s in it for me to do so.”

Ling frowned, or gave as much as an impression of a frown as he could without access to their mouth. _I don’t like to share._

Greed curled their face into a grin that was just as bright as the fire. “Me neither. Funny, that. But don’t tell me a little thing like that will keep you from going after what you want…?”

Ling huffed and settled back so that his physical senses were muted to a comfortable, dull background to his and Greed’s thoughts. _I guess we’ll see._

Greed tossed the branch onto the fire and watched with hungry eyes as the flames ate it up. “I guess we will.”

* * *

The next few days they hiked even deeper into the woods, still marching westwards. Greed maintained steady control, and saltily informed Ling that Ed continuously seemed disappointed every time he spoke.

 _Jealous?_ Ling teased.

 _That’s not really my thing,_ Greed replied, but he didn’t outright deny it. Greed didn’t feel the same way as Ling did about Ed, but he still wanted the boy to like him. Ling found it strangely endearing.

Eventually the group wandered into a gently sloping ravine, and there was a sand-filled crater amidst the rocks and bushes. Greed went to investigate, toeing a line in the coarse sand with his shoe. “Huh, nature’s fighting pit,” he remarked.

 _Watch for snakes,_ Ling advised.

“I’m not scared of a little snakebite,” Greed crowed.

Ed hopped down over the lip of the shallow crater, eyes bright. “Are you talking to Ling? This would be a great place to have our sparring match.”

Greed glared up past Ed at the chimeras, who dutifully wandered away to find a different resting spot. “Yeah, I guess it would be,” he replied to Ed with a smirk.

Ling felt hope rise inside him, and sure enough when he came forward, Greed’s hands were loose on the controls, easy to nudge away. He immediately planted his foot behind him and bent his knees, falling into a fighting stance as he got a feel for his balance in the sand.

“Hi, Ed,” Ling said cheerfully. “Good to see you again.”

Ed mirrored him, fists coming up and a grin spreading on his handsome face. “Hey, Ling. You too.”

Ling made the first move, striking out with a fist to test Ed’s defenses. Ed dodged easily and used the movement to close the distance for a strike of his own. Ling parried and retreated, Ed pursuing with a look of such intense focus that Ling felt his stomach clench.

They chased each other around in the pit for a while, sending sand flying. Between their skillful defending and reluctance to actually harm each other, neither got any particularly solid hits in, but it was still exhilarating. Ling kind of adored the savage joy in Ed’s eye as his fists flirted with Ling’s torso.

Ed struck out with a hasty kick, and Ling could see he was unbalanced. Using the opening, Ling grabbed Ed’s leg and pulled, sending Ed crashing with a grunt to the ground. Ling pounced just as Ed was squirming away, and they ended up rolling, and Ling was surprised by how much heavier Ed was than he looked, but he managed to use his longer limbs and homunculus strength to leverage them into a position where Ed was pinned beneath him.

During their scuffle, the ribbon in Ling’s hair had loosened, and a few long strands slipped out of the ponytail to hang down on either side. Both teens were breathing heavily from exertion, and Ling felt his heart beat even faster when he realised exactly what position they were in — his knees in the sand on either side of Ed’s waist, his hands pinning Ed’s upper arms, one warm and strong and alive, the other hard, unforgiving steel.

“You got me,” Ed surrendered with a smile. Good lord, that smile. It made Ling’s arms weak. His heart wouldn’t slow, even though the fight was over. He moved his hands to frame Ed’s head instead of restrain him, fingers curling slightly in the dirty, coarse sand.

“I think I like boys,” Ling said, calmer than he felt.

A faint blush crept into Ed’s cheeks as he stared up into Ling’s eyes. “Uh. Okay,” he said awkwardly.

“Do you?” Ling asked, his ears burning. “Like boys, I mean.”

Ed’s throat bobbed slightly as he swallowed. “I… hadn’t really thought about it.”

Disappointment squirmed in Ling’s stomach.

 _He didn’t say no,_ Greed piped helpfully. After being silent the whole fight, Ling really didn’t appreciate him rearing his head now of all times.

 _Please stay out of this,_ Ling begged. Out loud, he said, “I hadn’t either, until recently. Greed does. Well, he likes everything. And women are nice, but men are… well, they’re nice too.”

So far Ed hadn’t made any move to push Ling off or indicate he was uncomfortable where he was. Ling made the decision to stay exactly where he was until he did. Ed’s eyes flickered between Ling’s but he was otherwise still.

“What’s nice about them?” Ed asked quietly. Behind his eyes was that familiar spark of curiosity.

Pushing down the self-consciousness bubbling up in his chest, Ling indulged him. “They can be just as pretty as women. Prettier, even, some of them. And the strength is nice, too. Power can be… very attractive.” Partway through speaking Ling realized he was mostly drawing on how he felt about Ed. With his eyes he traced the line of Ed’s jaw; it was sharper now than it had been months ago when they first met. Ling sort of wanted to put his mouth on it.

 _Do it,_ urged the devil in Ling’s head.

“I think I can understand that,” Ed murmured.

_Kiss him now._

“Kind of a weird time to confess that sort of thing,” Ed continued.

_Kiss him!_

Ling hummed distractedly, caught between the two voices. Another strand of his hair fell from his shoulder to tickle Ed’s chin. If it bothered him, he didn’t show it.

_Seriously, this is the perfect moment. Kiss him. Kiss him!_

“Greed _really_ thinks I should kiss you,” Ling said, before he could think twice about it.

Ed’s expression twitched minutely, only noticeable because right now Ed’s face was Ling’s entire world. “Because _he_ wants to or because _you_ want to?” His tone was utterly unreadable, which sent nervous chills down Ling’s spine.

Ling held his breath until his lungs ached, because he couldn’t make himself admit how much he wanted Ed when Ed had made no indication he wanted Ling in the slightest. He couldn’t just bare a weak spot like that and trust that Ed wouldn’t attack it. While he did trust Ed more than most people, it still wasn’t a risk he would take.

The silent tension stretched for a few unbearable seconds. Then Ed finally moved his arms, and Ling got ready to sit up, to pull back, except instead of pushing him away, Ed’s hands embedded themselves in the front of his shirt and held him where he was.

“Greed can fuck off,” Ed whispered, and Ling’s heart lurched when he realised Ed was looking at his mouth.

They collided too roughly on the first pass, so Ling pulled back, and — reassured by Ed’s dopey smile — gathered his hair off to one side before leaning in for a much smoother second kiss. Ed’s lips were just as firm and impatient as the rest of him, Ling was amused to discover, and it felt good enough to distract him from Greed’s cheering.

When they pulled apart again, Ed’s cold metal hand was gripping the back of Ling’s neck, and Ling had his fingers tangled in Ed’s long bangs. They held each other’s gaze, cheeks pink and out of breath.

 _Not bad, your highness,_ Greed said approvingly.

Ling groaned and dropped his head onto Ed’s shoulder, and was belatedly glad it was his left so he didn’t bang his forehead on any metal. “I could seriously do without the commentary,” he groused. What was next, advice on his technique?

_To be fair, you seem like you could use some pointers. ‘Not bad’ is still a ways off from ‘awesome.’_

“You’re kidding, he can’t fuck off for five minutes?” Ed grumbled.

_Hey, it’s not like I live here or anything— oh wait._

“He’s _still talking,”_ Ling complained, anguished.

Ed laughed and pet the top of Ling’s head in a strangely tender gesture of affection. Ling felt a familiar bubbling feeling in his stomach and he smothered a grin in Ed’s collarbone.

“That sucks,” Ed commiserated. “For real, I sympathise. But, uh, any chance we could sit up now?”

Ling rolled off to the side and sat up on his knees then back on his heels. He shook some of the sand out of his hair then pushed it back over his shoulder as Ed propped himself up on his arms. He had sand clinging to his forehead, and his lips were pink and inviting. Ling couldn’t help himself — he leaned in one more time for another peck, and when he pulled back Ed was smiling again.

 _I did that,_ Ling thought to himself proudly. In the back of his head, Greed chuckled knowingly.

“So,” Ling said, placing his hands on his knees. “Do you like boys, then?”

Ed snorted and turned his head away bashfully. “I dunno. You’re not so bad, at least.”

“I’m a boy,” Ling said intelligently with a goofy smile.

Ed laughed again and sent Ling an amused, half-cocked grin. “Well, shit, mystery solved then, I guess.”

Ling smoothed the fabric covering his knees while his heart fluttered in his chest. “I enjoyed our kiss,” he declared, lifting his chin. “And… Well, I’d very much like to do it again. At some point.”

Ed bit his lip, struggling to contain an even bigger smile by the look of it. “I concur,” he said, matching Ling’s formal tone. “I’m sure I could pencil you in.”

_God, you guys are such virgins. Making a big deal of it when there was hardly even any tongue._

“Glad you kids had a good time,” Greed drawled.

Ling blinked in surprise, and then Greed gently but firmly shut him out of the body.

Ed frowned and sat up further, glowering at Greed. “We were in the middle of a conversation,” he said pointedly.

Greed stood up, brushed himself off, and patted the top of Ed’s head with a lazy grin. “And you can pick it up again later! But I’ve had enough lollygagging around in the dirt, and since you seem done doing anything interesting, I figured it was time for me to take the reins again.”

 _Seriously?_ Ling said, shocked and offended. _Can’t I have a single nice thing?_

“You do, though! You got him, score. He’s quite a catch, really, I’m proud of you,” Greed said, unabashed. Ed went pink in the face and Ling groaned internally.

“Pardon?” Ed demanded, flustered and confused.

“Not you,” Greed said dismissively. “I’ll give him back later. _Ciao_ for now.” Then he clambered out of the pit and strolled off without a care.

 _I cannot_ _believe_ _you,_ Ling said angrily.

“What? You were basically done, weren’t you? ‘That was nice, let’s do it again sometime,’ that’s what you say after the fact. After as in, that’s it for now. Dragging it out would’ve just been more awkward. As leader, I’ve got more important stuff to do than chaperone two sandy teenagers making eyes at each other with no follow-through.”

_Like walk aimlessly around the woods doing absolutely nothing productive?_

Greed curiously ran a hand through his loose hair and inspected the damaged tips. “Yeah, sure. I do mean it when I say I’m proud of you though.”

Ling was surprised at the genuineness radiating from Greed. Not that he was ever anything but, but he’d thought the ‘proud of you’ comment had mostly been snark. _Oh?_

“Yeah. You were nervous, but you did it anyway. And you were feeling proud of yourself. So I’m proud of you too. But seriously, if you want tips, I’ve got tips.”

 _No thank you,_ Ling said slowly. _I think I’d rather figure it out on my own._

Greed shrugged and kept walking. “Suit yourself.”


End file.
